The faces on the new Swedish bills. Bishops advice against christening of asylum seekers. Where you study decides your salary.

The faces on the new Swedish bills
This is worth taking a look at - the faces that will adorn the new Swedish bills. Author Astrid Lindgren replaces author Selma Lagerlöf on the new 20-SEK bill. “That’s the bill that will spread the most,” says Leif Pagrotsky, vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Bank of Sweden. Swedes have speculated wildly who would be the new faces on these bills, and the Bank of Sweden have listened. Here are the new faces:
20 SEK ($): Astrid Lindgren (author)
50 SEK ($): Evert Taube (musician and poet)
100 SEK ($): Greta Garbo (movie star)
200 SEK ($): Ingmar Bergman (film and theater director)
500 SEK ($): Birgit Nilsson (opera singer)
1000 SEK ($): Dag Hammarskjöld (diplomat)
Astrid Lindgren was the most popular choice of the Swedish people, she will face the bill that children will use mostly. The new Swedish bills will be out and about around 2014/2015. New coins will be minted as well, and these will be adorned by the head of State (the Swedish king).

Bishops advice against christening of asylum seekers
Pastors within the Swedish Church advice against christening converting asylum seekers. “One important reason is that we don’t want the christening to be brought up as an argument to get asylum and stay,” says Bishop Ragnar Persenius of Uppsala Diocese. Another reason is that in case the asylum seeker is sent back to his or her homeland, they may risk persecution and in some cases even execution. “The more people come with more cultural backgrounds, the more we see how complex this issue is,” continues Persenius. “We have to estimate what risks are involved. And we must not abuse the meaning of the christening.” The recommendation not to christen asylum seekers who have converted to Christianity has been in effect in Sweden since 1992. But archbishop Anders Wejryd doesn’t agree. “We have to look at each case separately,” he says. “And examine every case on an individual basis. And we have to understand just what kind of problems these people may run into if they leave a Moslem community.”

Where you study decides your salary
A person who has studied Informatics in Uppsala makes 4 000 SEK ($631) more than colleagues who studied in Stockholm. The differences are “unacceptably high”, according to an article in Svenskt Näringsliv. According to an analysis, it is the collaboration with trade and industry that is the most important factor in getting the student a job. At Uppsala University the students studying Informatics get help from the student organization Näringsutskottet, which creates network opportunities during informal meetings. “It could be a poker competition or bowling combined with a meal. But we also have some more serious arrangements,” explains Joanna Murphy, chairwoman. And it’s been a successful concept. “Of the students that I know have gotten employment before they’ve finished school, all of them got them through these events.”

Expect to see these faces in your wallet if you travel to Sweden in 2014/2015. From left to right top row: Greta Garbo, Astrid Lindgren, Dag Hammarskjöld. Lower row from left to right: Evert Taube, Birgit Nilsson, and Ingmar Bergman.